Jagjit Singh Memorial Award

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Jagjit Singh ji has gone on with his journey into the vast infinity. But what he has left behind in this world is something that’s very precious and will be cherished for generations to come. This year, 2016, we celebrate his 75th birth anniversary and the Jagjit Singh Foundation is paying homage to his legacy by instituting the Jagjit Singh Memorial Award. This award honours visionaries who have contributed a lifetime of work that has left an indelible mark on various fields of art, music and culture. The Chairperson, Chitra Singh, has this to say about the award. “We not only want to recognize truly outstanding work done in the fields of arts but also express our appreciation to great personalities who have brought magic into our lives with their special touch”.

After careful deliberation it was decided by the Foundation to bestow the inaugural annual Jagjit Singh Memorial Award for 2016 to the Maestro Ilaiyaraaja, fondly called Isaignani by his millions of admirers all over the world. Roughly translated it means Musical Genius. And that he very much is. He has composed over 5000 songs and created film scores for over 1000 movies. He is self-trained in the art of writing music and brought about a perfect amalgamation of western styles and Indian sensibilities. He was the first Asian composer to have a full symphony performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Normally he declines awards but when the Foundation expressed their desire to confer the inaugural award to him, he felt it would be a befitting tribute to Jagjit Singh.

2016 will indeed be a year to remember for music lovers as the Jagjit Singh Foundation is gearing up to also host the inaugural ‘Jagjit Singh Music Festival’ on the 7th and 8th of February 2016 in Mumbai. This 2-day musical celebration will see acclaimed artists perform along with young and upcoming musicians and singers. The vision is to create a long-serving platform to unearth musical talent from across the country. Ustad Zakir Husain, Pandit Hari Prasad Chaurasia, Pandit Birju Maharaj, Sonu Nigam,Suresh Wadkar,Hariharan are some of the leading lights who are going to perform at the festival. The Jagjit Singh Foundation truly believes that the award and the festival will be a stepping stone to fullfill some of Jagjit Singh Ji’s dream.